We still love each other: Manish Arora

The world of Indian fashion was jolted awake with the news that one of their favourite names, Manish Arora, had parted ways with international label Paco Rabanne. Arora had been the artistic director at the Paris-based Spanish brand for the past two seasons, charged with revamping their ready-to-wear line. His signature outrageous designs were received with much praise, even being snapped up instantly by celebrities like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry.

But while the abbreviated stint and the sudden announcement of the end of their association may raise many eyebrows, Arora himself insists there’s no controversy to be blown open.

“We love each other and I’m still on very good talking terms with Paco Rabanne,” says the designer, who returned to the country on Friday to host a party where he unveiled his Spring/Summer 2012 collection that was shown in Paris. He adds, “It was a stint that I wanted to have, and I’ve accomplished what I was charged with doing.”

Ask if he expected the tenure to be so short, and he says, “Contractually, I was signed on for two seasons. We were to take it from there and decide whether we want to move forward with the association or not.” In response to rumours that he’d been dropped by the label, Arora responds saying, “Nobody has been dropped! They were very happy with my work. I want to focus on my label, which I’ve been showing at Paris Fashion Week continuously. In fact, I was the only designer who had two shows (for labels Paco Rabanne and Manish Arora) in the span of four days.” Ask what his plans for expanding his home-grown label are, and he says, “I can’t tell you what I’m working on. But I’m open to working with other brands in the future.”